Sichuan University has made a breakthrough in the research of long-term insulin delivery system. The research paper Erythrocyte-Membrane-Camouflaged Nanoplatform for Intravenous Glucose- Responsive Insulin Delivery is published as a featured article in Advanced Functional Materials（DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201802250，IF=13.325. The corresponding authors are Ling Zhang, an associate researcher of the College of Polymer Science and Engineering and Doctor Yu Lin of West China College of Pharmacology. The first author is Yu Fu, a PhD candidate.
In general, the treatment of diabetes requires on-going monitoring of blood sugar level. Patients need to control sugar intake in diet, persist in physical exercises and take insulin in order to maintain a normal blood sugar level. Depending on the pathogenesis, diabetes is mainly divided into type I diabetes mellitus and type II diabetes mellitus. Both types rely on long-term insulin therapy to a degree. Usually, the patient needs to inject insulin under his/her skin three times or more daily. This method is poor in compliance and brings about a number of problems such as hypoglycemia symptoms, fat atrophy or fat hyperplasia, etc. Researchers have been working on new methods of insulin treatment over the past 20 years. The administration ways include hypodermic injection, taking by mouth, through lungs, or burying under the skin. None of these approaches can achieve intelligent response, rapid release, long-term circulating let alone safety and accuracy. Therefore, it is urgent to design and construct a long-term drug delivery system that can release insulin according to a patient’s blood sugar level in clinical treatment.
Ling Zhang, an associate researcher of the College of Polymer Science and Engineering and Doctor Yu Lin of West China College of Pharmacology have joined efforts in a research and made their first report on intravenous long-acting drug delivery system by enzymatic reaction-mediated insulin release.
Their research findings will provide a solid scientific basis and application value for the development of a new form of long-acting drug delivery of insulin releasing.
